Arizona cult leader kidnapped children and forced them into sex with adults

The leader of a polygamous sect claimed to have more than 20 spiritual "wives," including 10 underage girls. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison on Dec. 50 for forcing underage girls to have sex with him and other adults and for arranging their kidnapping, reports Associated Press.

Photo: Joe Sohm | Dreamstime.com

Samuel Bateman, whose small group was an offshoot of a cult once led by Warren Jeffs, pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines to commit sex crimes and kidnap some of them.

What do members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practice?

A clarification is needed here. The Warren Jeffs cult, of which Bateman's group of fanatics was an offshoot, is a religious group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). It is a breakaway organization from the Mormon Church that maintains a belief in polygamy, despite its prohibition in the mainstream Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

On the subject: For years, shelter workers have been raping migrant children in the United States without adults.

Warren Jeffs was the leader of the FLDS and effectively controlled it as an absolute religious authority. He inherited power from his father, Rulon Jeffs, in 2002. Warren proclaimed himself a prophet whose commands were perceived by his followers as “divine.”

Jeffs argued that polygamy was a prerequisite for salvation and entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Men could have dozens of wives. He regulated marriages, appointed "spiritual wives," and controlled all aspects of members' lives, including their property, work, and contact with the outside world. Members lived in closed communities, such as the Zion Ranch in Texas, avoiding contact with the "outside world," which was considered sinful. Men who displeased the leader could be expelled from the community, and their wives and children were given to other men.

Warren Jeffs was arrested in 2006 and convicted in 2011 of sexually assaulting underage girls he married. He was sentenced to life in prison. The case caused widespread controversy, drawing attention to the FLDS and its brutal practices, including child marriage, sexual abuse, and the suppression of women's rights.

Despite his conviction, Jeffs remains a symbolic figure for some FLDS members who believe he is still a prophet. And, as the Bateman case shows, Jeffs's ideas continue to spread vigorously.

Plea, trial and sentence

Under the plea agreement, Bateman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport a minor for sexual purposes, which carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. He also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Bateman was sentenced to 50 years on each count, to be served concurrently.

The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Authorities say Bateman, 48, was trying to found an offshoot of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints based in the nearby communities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah. The fundamentalist group, known as the FLDS, broke away from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after Mormons formally abandoned polygamy in 1890.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Brnovich sentenced Bateman after hearing statements from three teenage girls about the trauma they are trying to heal.

"You shouldn't be able to stay out of prison without being able to approach young women," Brnovich told Bateman, noting that for a man his age, a 50-year sentence would effectively be a life sentence.

"You took them from their homes, from their families, and turned them into sex slaves," the judge said. "You robbed them of their innocence and their childhood."

Immediately before sentencing, a brief competency hearing was held, closed to the public. The defense argued that Bateman should have been sent to a locked psychiatric hospital for a maximum of 20 years.

The girls told the court, sometimes addressing Bateman himself, how difficult it had been for them, especially at school. Now living in foster homes, they received a lot of support from adults outside their community.

After the verdict, the teens hugged and cried quietly. They were led out by several men and women wearing jackets that read “Bikers Against Child Abuse.” The group protects children from what it calls “dangerous people and situations.” There was no one in the courtroom to support Bateman.

Life in the Bateman Cult

When Warren Jeffs was convicted in 2011 on federal charges in Texas related to sexual activity with minors, Bateman remained one of the most consistent followers of Jeffs’ doctrine and declared himself the “prophet” of the FLDS. Incidentally, Jeffs denounced Bateman in a written “revelation” sent to his followers from prison. Bateman then founded his own group.

In 2019 and 2020, insisting that polygamy brought exaltation in heaven and that he was acting on orders from “Heavenly Father,” Bateman began taking adult women and children from his male followers and claiming them as his “wives,” according to the plea agreement. Although none of these “marriages” were legally or ceremonially recognized, Bateman admitted that each time he claimed another “wife,” it marked the beginning of his illicit sexual contact with a woman or girl.

Federal agents said Bateman demanded that his followers publicly confess to any wrongdoing. He meted out punishments that ranged from public shaming to sexual activity, including a requirement that some male followers atone for their "sins" by giving him their wives and daughters.

Bateman traveled widely between Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nebraska and routinely solicited underage girls for sex, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona said. Recordings of some of his sex crimes were transmitted across state lines using electronic devices.

Bateman was arrested by state police in August 2022 while driving through Flagstaff, Arizona, in a car with a trailer. Someone told authorities they noticed small fingers wrapped around the bar on the trailer's door. Inside the trailer, which had no ventilation, police found a makeshift toilet, a couch, folding chairs, and three girls, ages 11 to 14.

Bateman was released on bail but was soon arrested again on charges of obstructing justice in a federal investigation. Authorities also removed nine children from Bateman's Colorado City home and placed them into foster care.

Eight children later escaped from foster care in Arizona and were found hundreds of miles away in Washington state in a car driven by one of the adult "wives." Bateman also admitted his involvement in the abduction.

Federal prosecutors noted that Bateman's plea agreement was contingent on all of his co-conspirators pleading guilty. It also called for restitution of up to $1 million and the immediate forfeiture of all assets.

Seven of Bateman's adult "wives" have been convicted of coercing children into sexual acts or obstructing the investigation into Bateman. Some have admitted that they, too, coerced girls into becoming Bateman's spiritual "wives," witnessed Bateman having sex with girls, engaged in group sex with children, or assisted in abducting them from foster care. Another woman is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 14 on charges related to the kidnappings.

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Two Colorado City brothers also face 10 years to life in prison when they are sentenced Dec. 16 and Dec. 20. They pleaded guilty in October to driving in multiple states to solicit or coerce children into sexual activity. Authorities say one of them bought Bateman two Bentleys and the other a Range Rover.

In court filings, lawyers for some of Bateman's "wives" painted a grim picture of their clients' religious upbringing.

One said his client was raised in a religious cult that taught that sexual activity with children was acceptable, and that she was tricked into "marrying" Bateman. Another said her client was given to Bateman by another man as if she were property, and she felt she had no choice.

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